March 13, 2025
Rainwater warehouse systems, which were built in NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi, the Flushing Hospital and the Pratt Institute, will record more than 7 million gallons of rainwater every year and to help reduce the floods. Photos available here; Information on securing funding for similar projects on private property can be found here
The New York Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has come together today with NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi and the Global Desulting and Consultancy company Arcadis to announce ongoing rainwater discharge upgrades on the Jacobi Hospital Campus. Dep is investing almost 5 million US dollars in the construction of rainwater drainage and storage systems under three parking spaces on the campus as part of its resilient program from NYC Partners. After completion, the rainwater drainage and storage systems can record more than 5 million gallons a year. The project will not only help to protect the facilities, employees and visitors to the hospital, but also to create additional capacities in the larger Pelham Parkway sampling system, which contributes to reducing the floods in the entire neighborhood. Dep and Arcadis, who lead the construction work at every location, have recently completed similar upgrades in the Flushing Hospital in Queens and Pratt Institute in Brooklyn with an investment of 1.78 million dollars.
“Climate change brings more rain to New York City than our drainage systems have to do. That is why we invest in upgrades to protect New York in every neighborhood” Dep Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala. “Many thanks to NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi, Arcadis and all our partners who helped us to complete these important upgrades for residents and companies in Pelham Parkway as well as rinsing and Clinton Hill.”
“The public hospital system in New York knows the complete effects of climate -related weather events on our facilities and we don't have the time before we act before us,” we said, “said we” said ” NYC Health + Hospital Senior Vice President of the Office of Facility Development Manuel Saez, PhD. “The completion of these state-of-the-art, inexpensive green infrastructure solution under the parking lot of the Jacobi Hospital ensures the continued security of the facility for our employees and patients in the coming years. Many thanks to the Dep- and Arcadis teams who have given this project appropriately and installed their work in our entire great city in the Klima-Smart infrastructure. “
“NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi is pleased to work with the Department of Environmental Protection to install these improvements in the green infrastructure on our campus.” Christopher Maststromano, Chief Executive Officer from NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi. “Every year we will grasp millions of gallons rainwater, reduce our dependence on the local wastewater system and reduce the floods in our neighborhood.”
“The rainwater improvements in the Jacobi Medical Center are a critical investment in both the infrastructure and the resistance of the community,” said President of the Bronx District Vanessa L. Gibson. “By recording millions of gallons rainwater, this project will help reduce the floods, to protect hospital facilities and to improve the surrounding Pelham Parkway district. We praise DEP and his partnership with Arcadis for their commitment to innovative solutions that protect the future of our city. “
In the Jacobi Hospital teams installed rainwater storage systems under parking spaces 1, 3 and 4. The construction teams and hospital management have sequenced the installation to ensure that only one property was closed and the effects on hospital staff, patients and visitors were restricted. For each system, the existing asphalt as well as the rock and the soil below was up to a depth of 6 to 8 feet. The crews then installed a specially developed drainage and memory infrastructure under the surface, placed gravel and floor on it and put a new asphalt to rebuild the parking lot.
After completing the rainwater drainage and the storage systems in the Jacobi Hospital, the drainage of 7 hectares of impermissible area. The systems consist of over 16,000 individual tanks that can store almost 400,000 gallons together. Parking spaces 1 and 3 have been completed and will cover 2.81 million gallons or 1.04 million gallons a year. Los 4, which is currently under construction, will record 1.40 million gallons a year. These projects will help relieve floods and solve chronic drainage problems with Jacobi. In addition, the project helps through the creation of additional capacity in the sewage system to improve the health of the West Chestern Creek and to alleviate flood risks for the Pelham Parkway abnormal system.
The rainwater drainage and storage systems in the Jacobi Hospital promote a central commitment to the NYC Health + Hospital climate management plan, a number of infrastructure projects to ensure the sustainability and resilience of the public health system in view of the climate change. By creating a rainwater flood reduction system, the staff and patients can continue to access the hospital in times of severe or extreme precipitation in order to receive critically required services.
In addition, DEP and Arcadis have recently completed similar work on the Flushing Hospital and at the Pratt Institute.
In the Flushing Hospital, the emergency room was rebuilt with an underground drainage infrastructure, which records 390,000 gallons rainwater annually, reducing the floods and improving the health of the nearby flush creek. Additional drainage equipment is planned in the hospital in the coming months. The work on the emergency room costs 286,000 US dollars.
The Pratt Institute is located in the Clinton Hill district in Brooklyn and the drainage equipment took place on two parking spaces on the campus. The drainage infrastructure built under the North Lot will record 760,000 gallons of rainwater every year, while the rebuilt main property will hold 990,000 gallons annually. This work has been completed and will help to reduce the floods in the neighborhood and keep the pollution away from the East River. The project cost 1.5 million US dollars.
The Pay-for-Performance Treaty between DEP and Arcadis enables large private properties in the city, whereby 50,000 square meters or more impermeable areas at the location level with financial infrastructure with financial resources from the Resilientian NYC Partners program are installed. This program simplifies the process for private owners by taking over the majority of the project implementation, which rainwater management for those who qualify better and at the same time accelerate the implementation time bar. The types of green infrastructures created via this program include underground storage systems, porous sites, rain gardens and other practices at locations with which the rainwater can be managed inexpensively from large adversely and parking spaces. As part of the partnership, the work was already completed at the Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn and a private company T-Mina Supply in Queens.
The Green Infrastructure Program from DEP has built more than 13,000 systems for green infrastructures, including rain gardens on the roadside, green roofs, underground bearings, permeable paving stones and green medians. All of these green installations capture the rainwater before it can flow into the sewage system, which means that additional capacities can be generated in the sewage canals, which can help to reduce floods and overflows into local waterways.
About the NYC Department of Environmental Protection
DEP manages New York City's water supply and offers almost 10 million inhabitants, including 8.5 million in New York City, around 1 billion gallons of high -quality drinking water every day. The water is supplied by a watershed that moves more than 125 miles from the city and 19 reserves and three controlled lakes. About 7,000 miles, tunnels and aqueducts bring water to houses and shops in the five districts, and 7,500 miles wastewater pipes and 96 pump stations take sewage on 14 treatment plants in cities. Dep also protects the health and security of New York by enforcing the air and noise codes and asbestal rules. In the next 10 years, DEP has a robust capital program with planned investments of 33.3 billion US dollars. You can find more information at NYC.GOV/Dep as we do on Facebook or follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Via NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest public health system in the nation, which affects more than one million New Yorkers annually at more than 70 locations in patient care in the city's five districts. A robust network of outpatient, primary and special care centers based in the neighborhood for anchor maintenance with the trauma centers of the system, nursing homes, post-acuts care centers, Home Care Agency and Metroplus Health Plan, which are supported by 11 essential hospitals. The diverse workforce of more than 42,000 employees concentrates in a unique way on strengthening New Yorkers in order to live the healthiest life. You can find more information at www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/nychealthsystem or Twitter at @nychealthetSystem.
About Arcadis
Arcadis is the leading global organization for design and consulting companies for natural and built assets. We maximize the effects for our customers and the communities that they serve by providing effective solutions through sustainable results, focus and scaling and digitization. We are 36,000 people who are active in more than 30 countries and get gross revenue of 4.0 billion euros. We support UN habitat with knowledge and specialist knowledge in order to improve the quality of life in rapidly growing cities around the world.